Forty-five days—technically half-way through the program—I noticed a big change that wasn’t in inches or pounds. Besides the fact that I could do more each time–deeper, longer, heavier…more—this was yet another change that the outside world couldn’t see.

I began to feel really good. Really, really good. I began to look forward to my workouts, with the exception of Yoga X because 1.5 hours of yoga was still hard for me to stomach. My first 30 days had been more about my legs and turning them into tight powerhouses. At the end of the 6th week and beginning of the 7th, I had a sudden urge to run out and buy sleeveless dresses.

As everyone over 35 knows, sleeveless dresses are for the very young. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to develop “wings” where her triceps are flabby and saggy. That hasn’t happened to me yet and I’m not going to let it—but I hadn’t been too fond of my arms anyway. At the 45-day mark, I began to notice how defined my arms were becoming. No guns yet, but definitely a difference in appearance.

One of the other notable changes was that I was dancing around a whole lot more, kicking much higher. Much more flexible and playful in my movements. I still couldn’t do certain squats, not at 45 days, but that was soon to come…..